The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1887-01-27

caDln anu cndU8c your CTcSS- non bDt
clothes you are wearing in 4 bundle
and hide them for the present"
She glided away on her little feet,
STOPPING her head to level with the
rail.
All was quiet forward-the main.
deck deserted. l waited some seconds,
standing with my hand on the box,
and then 1 showed it right overheard.
1t fell, just as l expected, with 8
humping splash.
Instantly l roared out: MAN over.
board! Down with your helmi The
boson's goner' and to complete the
imposture, | bounded aft, cut away q
life-buoy, and flung it far into the
darkness astern.
Cornish obeyed me literally; put the
helm right down, and in few mo-
nents the sails were shaking wildly.
Steady" l shouted. +" Aft here
and man the port main-braces. Bear a
hand the boson's overboardr'
My excitement made my voice reso-
nant as a trumpet, and the men in
both watches came scampering along
the deck.
Up rushed the carpenter in a very
short time, rather the worse, thought,
for the dose he had swallowed.
What's the matter?" he beloved,
lurchiRg from side TO side, as the ship
rolled. for we were now brOadside on.
The bosom has fallen overboardn'
l shouted in his ear; and had need
to shout for the din of the canvas was
deafening.
''Do YOU say the BOSOM" he bawled
Yes. What shall we do? Is it too
dark to pick him up?"
"Of course, it is!'' he cried. Hes
drowned by this time, Who's to find
him? Give EN- the proper orders, l
tell We, Mr.. Royle. Sing out to the
men, for the Lords sake"
Very WE'LL" l replied, with a
great air of reluctance, and l de-
livered the necessary orders. The
carpenter worked like a mailman,
bawling out that if the ship was dis
masted, all hands would certainly be
hanged; and he so animated the men
that the work Was done in one quarter
of an hour which usually would have
Itwas now one O. clock. so it had taken
less than an hour to drown the boat
swain, put the ship in irons and get
her clear again.
Stevens came off the main-deck on
to the poop, greatly relieved in his
mind, now that the sails were full and
the yards trimmed, and asked me how
4l,,L l, f.,ll
overheard.
l replied, very gravely, that had
come on deck at eight bells, being
anxious to see what way the ship was
andsnow she was heading: that,
remembering L had left an overcoat in
one of the quarter-bOatS, | looked, but
could not find it; that | spoke to tbs
bOatswain. who told me that he had
seen the coat in the stern-sheets of the
quarter-bOat that afternoon, and got
on the poop-rail to search the boat;
that l had turned my head for mo-
ment when l heard groan, which
was Immediately followed by loud
splash alongside, and perceived that
the boatswain had vanished.
so" continued /, Il pitched life
buoy astern and sung out to put the
helm down; and L must say, Mr..
Stevens, that | think we could have
saved the poor fellow had we tried.
But you are really the skipper of this
ship, and since you objected l did not
argue"
There's no use sayin' we could ha'
saved him." rejOined, Stevens. gruffiy.
Il say we couldn't. iWho's to see him
in the dark? We should have had to
burn a flare for the boat to find us,
and what with our driftin' and their
lumpin' about, missing their road, and
doing no airthIy good, We should ha'
ended in losin' the boat
He hung about the deck for a whole
hour, though l had offered to take the
boatswain's watch, and 90 turn and
turn about with him (Stevens), and he
had long yarn with the man at the
wheel, which l contrived to drop in
upon after awhile, and found Cornish
exactly how the boatswain
fell overheard, and corroborating My
story in every particular.
Thus, laboriOus rs my stratagem had
been, it was, rs this circumstance alone
proved, in RIO sense too labored; for
had not Cornish seen with his own eyes
the boatswain and myself standing
near the boat Just before | gave the
alarm he would in all probability have
the affair in such a way to
Stevens as to set him doubling nv
story, and perhaps putting the men on
to search the ship, to see if the boat
swain was overheard. He went below
at two o'clock.
The sea fell calm, and the wind
shifted round to the nor ard and west
ward, and was blowing steady. pleas
mt breeze at six bells The stars came
,ut and the horizon cleared. Soon the
lawn broke and Stevens went below
% put on his coat and cap and top
boots, in order to relieve me, for it was
low four o'clock. The dawn had
broken with every promise of fine
lay.
1 was thoroughly exhausted, not so
much from the want of rest AS from
he excitement l had gone through. |
Still, / had part to play before [
urned in; so stuck my knuckles in
ny eyes 70 rub them open, and waited |
or Stevens, who presently came on
leck. !
I'm growed sick o. the sight o. this
'oop," he growled to me. Sick o
he sight o the whole vessel. Fust |
art o the voyage l was starved for
God. Now, with the bosom overheard,
IN starved for sleep. How long are
We going to take to reach FloriGa? |
ink me if l shouldn't ha' voted for
ONE nearer coast had | known this /
voyage wur going to last to the day O
Judgment"
IF it don't fall calm" answered,
Il NAV safely DromiSe tn mt Won off